Get Stuffed - Mongolie Grill

Kitchen warriors

A Weekend Warrior. You know the type. A person who goes screaming down black runs at breakneck speeds. Zooming off moguls, over cliffs and through powder, trying to get as much as air as possible.

Who knows what fuels their insanity. Its got to be more than a thirst for that adrenaline rush. Perhaps in a previous life they were actual warriors. You know, those bloodthirsty types charging into battle with swords and shields.

Now, just a minute. Extreme skiing to sword battles? Maybe Ive seen Gladiator too many times. Well, perhaps my theory wouldnt be too far fetched for you if you ever had a weird deja vu feeling while waiting for your stir fry at Whistlers Mongolie Grill.

You see according to the Grills kitchen manager, Ryan Davy, the stir fry got its start back in the days when Genghis Khan was conquering half the world. Khans merry men, after killing anything in sight, would turn their blood soaked shields over and cook whatever they had killed over an open flame. Do you think they knew their brand of partying and cooking would be the inspiration for the Mongolie Grill, 800 years later in Whistler?

"Stir fry is a great way to cook. Its really healthy and the food retains much of its flavour and healthy ingredients, much more so than any other cooking," says Davy.

Davy says he came to the Mongolie Grill three and half years ago after apprenticing at a White Spot in his hometown of Kamloops.

"I liked Kamloops. It was a good place to grow up and Sun Peaks is a good place to ski, but Whistler is better. I love it here."

Davy says he makes it up the mountain at least four times a week for some snowboarding and loves Whistler in the summer for baseball and swimming.

"I used to skateboard but the body starts to hurt too much after 20 for that sport, so Ive cut back on that one."

Since accepting a job offer from the Mongolie Grill, Davy has worked his way up the food chain to where he manages the kitchen staff. But the Mongolie is different from any other restaurant in Whistler in that the cooks share much more of the duties.

"Its kind of neat here in that all the cooks do the same things. We all handle the grill, prepare the meats, vegetables and sauces and keep the food bar stocked. If you can do that and enjoy talking to customers, you can probably be a cook here."